Confused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren’t Alone
Dear Carol: My mom has advanced lung disease as well as late-stage Alzheimer’s. We know that there are no cures for either...
Grief
Breaking the News That a Loved One is Going on Hospice Care
When the paperwork was finally signed to get hospice care for my dad, I was grateful. There would now be a routine...
Mixed Emotions: Grief and Relief When the Loved One You Cared for Dies
When my mother died in a local nursing home, my “career” of visiting this exceptional facility nearly every day for almost 15...
Hindsight Can Be a Blessing or a Curse for Caregivers
They say hindsight is 20/20. But things from the past that may seem “clear” to you now can still be distorted by...
Admitting Loved One to Hospice Is Emotional, but Understanding Process Helps
Dear Carol: I’m crushed and uncertain how to move forward. My wife, 74, has spent years battling cancer with some success and...
You’re Not a Terrible Person If You’ve Secretly Wished Your Ill Loved One Could Die
Every so often, someone will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass away. Often, this person is...
Family Disagrees about Moving Widowed Mom Weeks After Husband’s Death
Dear Carol: Dad died two weeks ago at 89 years of age. Mom is 87 and has what they think is early-stage...
Ways to Minimize Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia
Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia...
Hospice Care: Help During End Stages of Life
Each time I walked into Dad’s room in the nursing home, he would be rigid in bed, propped up on one elbow...
Music-Thanatology: Providing Harmony at the End of Life
The mission of hospice providers is to help people live their last months or weeks of life in the most comfortable, dignified,...
